How can social networking be utilized in marketing your business? I'm talking about an online business that you do in your own home. Where you work at home, not work from home. Big difference. Big.

The old school methods espouse themselves as at home opportunities and then recommend you to go out prospecting, I've heard it called mall crawling or post flyers which I hear is called bathroom marketing. The problem here is you have to physically go out. You have to get in your car, which takes time and gas, spend time with a person; typically an hour and then drive home. VS do your consultation from wherever you happen to be in your busy schedule-- your home office, on your patio, in your pjs, or in your vehicle while waiting for your kids. Simply get out your laptop, grab your Skype# and do your consultation.

I remember the old school method of teaching prospecting. They said rather than go out with prospecting as your agenda; prospect as you are out and about; this takes that idea one step further. Build your business in small cracks of time while you are living your life. This is a far cry from going to a coffee shop to do a one on one or going to a coffee shop for a no show!

I thought I had an online business. I wasted years believing I had an online business when in fact all I had was a replicated site. The online part was simply where I ordered to have product show up miraculously at my door. This became clear to me one day when I was presenting my opportunity to a single Mom. I told her about this great online business and then proceeded to tell her she just had to go to this hotel meeting and that conference!

In sharp contrast I'm talking about utilizing Web 2.0 and all the wonderfully interactive social marketing sites where we can go and connect with people online and attract them to us. Imagine having people come and ask you about your product or service!

Social marketing isn't new. It's been around for years in the form of BNI, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary etc. Web 2.0 has simply brought it into the 21st century by taking us online. Web 2.0 allows you to utilize the power of the net. Secondly its interactive. Whether it be via a blog; an online log or journal, via Facebook or via video just to name a few ways we can communicate back and forth.

How can Social Networking be Utilized in Marketing Your Business?

Social networking sites allows you to create an online presence by providing value in the form of articles you write to educate people on your area of expertise. You can establish credibility and attract people to your niche market. You can bring people to you from the comfort of their own home to the comfort of your home office.

Aging baby boomers know they need to do something. They know for example that they don't have enough retirement funds but don't know what to do. They are not specifically looking for network marketing or you. By using the content that you are creating to educate people who otherwise wouldn't realize that network marketing may be a viable solution for them. They wouldn't have found you otherwise.

You can not only gain referrals you can gain viral referrals. One suggestion I heard was to look on YouTube for a video that isn't openly promotional about your topic. Put it up on your web-site and post it to a forum; somebody in that forum could then post that link in another forum. This can happen if you write good content or add humor.They will pass on your links and become viral.

Types of Web 2.0 Sites

• Blogs
• Squidoo Lenses
• HubPages Ezines,ArticlesBase
• YouTube
• Social Networks-LinkeIn,MySpace,Facebook,Plaxo,etc
• BookmarkingSites-Digg,Del-icio-us,Furl,Stumbleuponetc.
• Forums,yahoogroups etc

One way is via Mike Klingler's Renegade University. Another way is via TheWorksTeam.

The WorksTeam Rocks! Did you know that as purchasers of the Renegade you are welcome to join? Get back with the person that you purchased The Renegade book from for the password. Many companies charge 2 digit monthly fees for what is offered at this site. And it comes with weekly webinars every Monday at 9:00 EST to help you build your business. Run by successful network marketers from various network marketing companies they offer great value. The primary hosts are Wendy Mills, upline to Ann Sieg and Cammy Stubbs. If you have fallen through the cracks as I did then feel free to contact me directly at irene.paradigmshift@gmail.com or call me at 604-530-2750PST.

This hub is based on what I learned on last nights free webinar alone! I find it to be completely complimentary to what Mike Klingler is teaching and there were lots of plugs for Renegade University on the webinar.

Here's a great tip for working with html in squidoo: There is an online html editor tool: http://www.redpeachsolutions.com/html-editor.htm It operates much like Word. Put your link in and click source; also click new window so they don't navigate away from your page.

Social Marketing ToolTip #2

I got the distinct impression after talking to Didi Alcheva on the phone when we were going over the guides program requirements, that when she was writing articles she had a keyword search tool open at all times. This method was confirmed last night when Wendy Mills said that for any article she writes she always does a keyword research. First, go to: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. Wendy recommended clicking on use synonyms.

Sort by average search volume; click ones you want and copy to a list. From there you take your selected keywords to word tracker..

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ The free wordtracker won't give variations, which is why you want to use the other one first. Brainstorm It is what you need for your website but this tool is good enough for an article. Wendy copies and pastes her list to notepad. She adds related links, then saves and uses for further reference later. You can edit and add to these for future articles so you aren't always starting from scratch.

Choose the ones you think you will use and have as a list which will also keep you on track.(For those of you who related to my ADD article!) You want your article to sound natural while at the same time peppering it with as many keywords as you can.

Write your bio in the 3rd person so they get your name. Also you can't send someone to an affiliate link unless you have it rerouted through a domain name. Also, you can't send to a specific page either; just the main page. Except Squidoo lets you.

Social Marketing Tool Tip #5

Bookmark or ping your content. Go to http://www.therenegadesystem.com/, login--> training & resources--> traffic generation--> blogs--> lists blog tools--> ping tools. Ping-o-Matic helps it be found more readily.

I don't think this topic can be emphasised enough. This is just like being the new kid on the block. Rather than charge in like the proverbial bull in a china shop, take your time and let people get to know you.

You can join forum on topics that interest you on yahoo, msn etc where you can interact and post to forums. If you just joined and you are brand new; they will be wary of you. Who are you and why are you there? Let them get to know you first. Give first. If someone asks a question then you can post some helpful advice. Build trust and create relationships. Be part of the group.

Bookmark other peoples stuff, as Mike Klingler teaches. Add comments to visible websites. Like Squidoo for example sends you the squidoo lens of the day. Write a comment or mark it as a favorite = great visibility. Add stars.

Regarding spam. People may view it as spam if it's not of value to them. Wendy gave a great analogy. e.g. The teachers union may be anti home schooling so if she posts an article on that topic it may not be well received by those members. On the other hand it would be of high value to parents looking for alternative education.

Add sqiudoo links to your blog and website to help gain traffic. When you rate hub that helps you too; you are interacting with the community and are regarded as a giver not a taker. This is rewarded. Your score goes up when you are interactive. Join fan clubs, that equals connecting with the communityand then they will join yours.

In conclusion, all this information came from a one hour webinar with The WorksTeam hosted by Wendy Mills, Cammy Stubbs & Jim Routch with Wendy Mills as the presenter. If you found this hub valuable I encourage you to get in touch with the person in the back of your Renegade Network Marketer eBook. If they have fallen off the face of the earth feel free to get in touch with me or TheWorksTeam. Contact information is on the weekly invitation.

Irene Kirkman, internet marketing consultant, is offering personal assistance for those who have home based businesses or would like to work from home online. The biggest challenge with taking your business online is becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available. Avoid ‘analysis paralysis’, learn what you need to do next. The number one challenge I hear from people is: "I just want simple.” and “ Can’t you just tell me what to do next?" I have a solution. I know very well what not to do and can therefore shorten the learning curve substantially for anyone that is serious about escaping the rat race.

Watch this short video The Renegade Puzzle

Book your 20” complimentary consultation at http://internetworkmarketercoach.com so I can identify your needs and get you started on an action plan.

Or contact me directly at irene.paradigmshift@gmail.com or call me at 604... PST